Biography

Andy Akiho is a “trailblazing” (Los Angeles Times) Pulitzer Prize finalist and seven-time Grammy-nominated composer whose bold works unravel intricate and unexpected patterns while surpassing preconceived boundaries of classical music. Called “increasingly in-demand” by The New York Times, Akiho has earned international acclaim for his large-scale works that emphasize the natural theatricality of live performance. He is the only composer to be nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Recent highlights include the world premieres of several major works, most notably Nisei—a sweeping new concerto for cellist Jeffrey Zeigler—which headlined this year’s Sun Valley Music Festival. Another standout: Sculptures, a groundbreaking, triple Grammy-nominated work for Omaha Symphony honoring renowned visual artist Jun Kaneko. Finally, BeLonging, a powerful new collaboration with Imani Winds with strong political undertones, also made highly acclaimed live and recorded debuts, receiving two Grammy nominations. Equally at home writing chamber music and symphonies, Akiho was the Oregon Symphony’s 2024–25 composer-in-residence.

Other recent engagements include commissioned premieres by the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony, China Philharmonic, Guangzhou Symphony, Oregon Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Music@Menlo, The Industry, and a sold-out run of Seven Pillars at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

Akiho has been recognized via many prestigious awards and organizations including the Rome Prize, American Academy of Arts and Letters, Lili Boulanger Memorial Prize, Harvard University Fromm Commission, Barlow Endowment, New Music USA, and Chamber Music America. His compositions have been featured by organizations such as Bang on a Can, American Composers Forum, The Intimacy of Creativity in Hong Kong, and the Heidelberg Festival.

An active steel pannist, Akiho has performed his works with Imani Winds, the LA Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella Series, the Berlin Philharmonic’s Scharoun Ensemble, the International Drum Festival in Taiwan, and more. Akiho’s recordings No One to Know One, The War Below, Seven Pillars, Oculus, Sculptures, and BeLonging feature brilliantly crafted compositions inspired by his primary instrument, the steel pan.

Akiho was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and is currently based in Portland, Oregon, and New York City.